Grace
by hov
Summary: Ever wonder what Rafe and Danny's friends felt and thought while they were serving for the US? Well here's my opinion.
1. Tricks and Things

  
DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affiliated with the creators of this amazing movie. This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Randall Wallace. The rest of the characters and events are mine. Any questions or comments please e-mail me. 

Please read and review. Thanks 

CHAPTER 1  
TRICKS AND THINGS

At eighteen, Rafe and Danny were the most handsome guys in school, and the most popular. They had their own business as crop dusters, and were the envy of the rest of the boys in that high school.

The boys' rugged look, deep voices, and kind countenance made all the women madly in love with them. The fact that they challenged the sky for a living was even more tempting. 

As school started that day, Rafe was growing nervous. The teacher was making every student read out loud in front of the class. Danny sat right beside him, and told him not to worry, he would be there to help him through it. 

When the most popular girls of the school walked into the class, they all gave the boys girlish smiles and flirting waves. Grace Doherty was a beautiful brunette, and not one boy had not once had a crush on her. The other girls, Lily and Aubrey, were both blondes and all three were pretty good friends, but no one had more friendship between each other than Rafe and Danny. 

As class began, the teacher stood and smiled at the best friends sitting beside each other. She had never seen a friendship like the one shared between Rafe McCawley and Daniel Walker. "Let's begin, shall we?" She asked. She looked to the best reader in her class, "Daniel, will you begin please?" 

Danny read through the first two paragraphs with graceful ease. He said the words with the thoughtful tone of a real poet, and she was proud. She then looked the Rafe, and winced. There was something wrong with the way Rafe read, backwards instead of forward, and she felt a pang of guilt for making him read in front of everyone. "Mr. McCawley?"

Rafe drew in a deep breath. "I as," He tried.

"As I." Danny whispered. 

"As I." Rafe corrected himself, and after apologizing, he continued, "As I read- Wait- Sorry. As I begin to write I notice the song birds in the window." Rafe said this phrase slowly. The teacher glanced up, and noticed that Danny was telling him every word. 

"Mr. Walker." She warned.

Danny blushed, smiled, and slouched in his chair. "Continue, Rafe."

"Looks-" He stuttered, "rain like." He mumbled something to himself, that the teacher couldn't quite understand, and knew it was probably a good thing she didn't. "Looks like rain." He corrected himself. Rafe could feel the entire class staring into his back. He knew what they were thinking. How could a person who could fly so well and shoot a running rabbit with a two dollar pistol not be able to read? 

Luckily, he was interrupted by the principal who peeked his head into the door. The principal was Mr. Walker, Danny's uncle. The man who took Danny in after his father died. "Danny, could I see you for a minute?" He asked.

Danny gestured toward Rafe, "Rafe too." Mr. Walker smiled knowing the relationship between the two boys. Rafe breathed a sigh of relief, and followed his best friend out the door. 

"The teachers of this school have decided that the kids need something to remember their prom night with." Mr. Walker explained once they had left the classroom. "And we were wondering if you two wouldn't mind flying over doing tricks and things as the sunset, before the dance."

"Sure, Mr. Walker." Rafe said. 

"Of course, Uncle Ben."

When the boys returned to the classroom, they were almost finished reading, and Rafe was grateful for that. When the bell rang, the teacher turned to Rafe, "Could I speak to you for a minute, Rafe?" She asked. Danny hung around as well, but she made him leave.

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	2. Pure Magic

CHAPTER 2  
PROM

Danny reluctantly left his friend behind in the clutches of his teacher, and followed Grace and her friends out the door. Grace noticed Danny following, without Rafe, and decided to leave her friends. "Danny." She said, "I was wondering--" She paused, "Have you decided on a date for the prom yet?" She asked. 

"No." Danny told her, "Me and Rafe have a job to do that night."

"Oh." Grace sighed. "Okay. Good luck with that." She then began to slowly walk away. 

Danny then realized why she had asked that, and stopped her, "Of course the job will be over before the dance starts." He said, "I just don't think I could pick you up." 

"That sounds great." She said, sounding a little more enthusiastic than she meant to.

Inside the classroom, Rafe was getting the worst scolding he ever thought he could have, of course, this was before he joined the navy. "You need to pay attention more in class." She was saying, "If you don't learn how to read you won't be allowed to graduate."

"Mrs. Cutting," He said, turning his charm on full blast. "I try real hard. I really do, it's just something with the letters. You know how much graduating means to me, and to Danny too. If I don't graduate, I'd be letting him and the United States down. It's not me, it's my brain, I just mix up the letter sometimes. Now please let me pass."

Mrs. Cutting glanced down at her record books, and placed a "C" in his permanent grade. The passing grade. "Thank you." He said, giving her a smile of gratitude, and rushing out the door to join Danny.

Everyone was most excited about the dance that Friday. They all had dates, all except Rafe. Rafe had many girls, but no one he truly cared about, and he couldn't stand going to the prom with someone he didn't like. He was planning to go alone with Danny, but now that Danny had a date, he realized it wouldn't look right if he went alone. So Rafe decided to take Grace's sister, Felicity. Felicity was seventeen, and very pretty.

As word started to go around that Rafe and Danny had signed up to join the US Air Force, everyone mourned. They knew war was around the corner, everyone knew it. Nobody could stand to lose such wonderful men as Rafe and Danny, but the boys had made up their minds, and they were leaving a week after high school ended. Rafe's other friends, Charles, Jade, and Pete all protested the boys' decisions saying they were crazy, but supported them none the less.

When prom night finally came, everyone gathered outside for an unknown special event. Grace sat beside her friends and their dates (Danny and Rafe's friends) on a blanket, but Danny and Rafe hadn't shown up yet. They hadn't been out there longer than ten minutes when they heard buzzing coming from the left and the right. 

They all drew in their breath as two airplanes were spotted on the east. They then knew who was in them, but they excited none the less, nobody had ever seen those two fly. The boys began their short air show with a deep loop between each other, then Danny did a quick barrel-roll. 

Everyone was making sounds of excitement and wonder, and when Danny became so close to Rafe that it seemed they might crash, the girls screamed. Danny and Rafe then zoomed past each other, belly to belly. Everyone cheered wildly. To end their show, Danny and Rafe made a big heart in the sky with their smoke, and then landed in an empty field right beside the high school. 

The entire student body ran toward them with full approval, what these boys could do was pure magic. 

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	3. LT. Daniel Walker

Chapter 3  
LT. DANIEL WALKER

The prom was magical. Grace didn't think that her night could get much better than that. Danny was so wonderful to her, yet so was Rafe. As she watched them fly their airplanes that night, she was captivated. The two were like brothers, and she liked them both. Of course she felt that she loved Danny, but she knew she could never say it unless he said it first.

That night Rafe was crowned king, and Grace's friend, Lily, his queen. Lily was overjoyed, but Rafe barely gave a smile. His hair was windblown, since he hadn't cared to brush it after the flight in the airplane, and he looked ruggedly handsome. Grace could hear all the girls giggling as he said, "Thanks." In his deep voice, and than quickly got off the stage. Where Danny met him, and congratulated him. 

Soon it was time for graduation. The ceremony went very well, and right before it ended, the principal stood to make a statement. "I would like to congratulate our two fly-boys for deciding to fly for the army. We wish them the best of luck." He said, "We know that one day they will be true heroes." 

That was when everyone knew the truth, Danny and Rafe were leaving.

Rafe and Danny said goodbye to their family before heading off to the train station. They were both very excited. "This is going to be great, Rafe." Danny commented. Neither one expected war, but both expected heroism.

At the train station, Danny was getting ready to board when he heard someone calling his name. He turned quickly to see Grace running toward him. "Danny, I'm so glad I caught you." She said.

"Is something wrong?" Danny asked.

"Yes." Grace told him, before giving him a long intense kiss. "I didn't say goodbye." She said after pulling away. 

"Goodbye, Grace." Danny said, before brushing against her lips once more. "I'll be back soon." He told her, before entering the train. 

Grace watched the train pull away until every boxcar had disappeared. 

1941

Living in such a small town, Grace kept her relationship with everyone from her graduating class. Lily and Aubrey had gotten married to Danny and Rafe's friends, Pete and Jade. They had barely received any word from Rafe or Danny, and each one of them were disappointed. War had begun, and was engulfing Europe. They knew most of the war was being fought in the air, and were worried about Rafe and Danny when and if America entered the war.

The five friends met often at a small malt shop downtown, and tonight just happened to be a night they decided to meet. They sat at a small booth in the corner waiting for Grace. She wasn't usually late. 

Finally, Grace ran into the diner waving an envelope in her hand. "It's from Danny!" She was shouting. "Danny sent us a letter!"

Everyone was most excited to hear, and she ripped it open. She read:

"Dear Grace,

I'm sorry I haven't written for the past little while, but Rafe and I have been  
very busy. We've been working under Major Doolittle, and he doesn't take too   
much fooling around. You can even ask Rafe. Two days ago we played chicken, and,  
boy, did he get cussed out! Anyway Rafe is engaged to a nurse of the navy named   
Evelyn, and to tell the truth I've never seen him act like this before. He's been   
happy all the time, and even romantic. He's really stricken by her. "

Grace stopped right there because of laughing that Jade and Pete were doing because of what Danny had said, "I don't believe it," Jade said, "Rafe, romantic?"

Grace shushed them, and continued:

"Anyway, Evelyn and I are being sent to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, but Rafe is not   
coming with us. He's going to the war."

Everyone stopped laughing, and grew very quiet. "Rafe's leaving?" Aubrey asked no one im particular.

"He won't listen when I tell him not to go. He says he was assigned, and you   
know Rafe, always wanting to be a hero. Evelyn cried up a storm two nights ago  
at this hotel they were staying at. I got to tell you, she's as angry about this as I  
am, but knows she can't stop a volunteer from doing his job. Well I've got to get   
some sleep, we're flying early tomorrow. Goodnight, and pray for Rafe.

LT. Daniel Walker

P. S. Don't worry about Rafe, I'm sure he'll come back."

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